The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has charged Electoral Officers and Heads of Department from the Southwest to confront the challenges of the 2027 General Election with greater commitment, discipline and preparedness.
The event, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, marked the commencement of a six-zone national tour designed to assess the Commission’s operational preparedness ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections scheduled for Saturday, 16 January 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections set for Saturday, 6 February 2027
Prof. Amupitan gave the charge in Lagos while addressing Electoral Officers, Heads of Department, senior administrative staff and other officials of the Commission from across the six states of the Southwest at the opening of the Southwest Zonal Interaction Meeting and Readiness Assessment.
The meeting, which marks the first leg of the Chairman’s six-zone interaction and readiness assessment tour, is designed to provide the Commission’s leadership with direct insight into the operational realities of officials at the state and grassroots levels ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Declaring that “the 2027 General Election is here,” the Chairman said the Commission must confront the election “frontally”, stressing that the recently concluded off-cycle elections had provided valuable lessons that must now be applied to preparations for the national election.
According to him, the Anambra State Governorship Election, FCT Area Council Election and the recent Osun State Governorship Election, among others, should be treated as milestones through which INEC could identify weaknesses, improve its processes and strengthen its capacity for 2027.
“Those off-cycle elections have provided us with the mirror through which we can see into the 2027 elections,” he said.
Prof. Amupitan explained that his decision to personally engage Electoral Officers and other field-level officials was deliberate, noting that the success of an election was ultimately determined at the operational level.
He said: “The true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is indeed decided in the field.”
The Chairman therefore urged the EOs and HODs to use the engagement to present the realities confronting them, identify operational gaps and proffer practical solutions ahead of the General Election.
He stressed that the Commission’s preparations must be driven by continuous learning and improvement, noting that challenges encountered in one election should inform strategies for subsequent elections.
Prof. Amupitan also commended INEC officials who participated in the recent Osun State Governorship Election, saying the public commendation received by the Commission belonged largely to the men and women who worked through the election period to protect the integrity of the ballot and ensure that votes counted.
Earlier, the REC for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, who welcomed the Chairman and participants to Lagos, said the credibility of an election was built long before Election Day through early preparation, effective coordination, competent personnel and continuous assessment.
Prof. Salami said the readiness assessment must go beyond checklists to examine the adequacy of human resources, logistics, infrastructure, technology, electoral materials, security arrangements and stakeholder engagement.
He urged EOs and HODs across the Southwest to speak frankly about their operational realities, identify weaknesses early & share practices that could strengthen the Commission’s preparations for 2027.
The interaction in Lagos is the first in the Commission’s planned engagement with officials across the six geopolitical zones as the Commission intensifies its preparations for the 2027 Elections.
